Autonomous driving vehicle and control method for autonomous driving vehicle

ABSTRACT

An autonomous driving vehicle includes a user detection monitoring device and a start control device. The user detection monitoring device detects a user who got out of the autonomous driving vehicle after the autonomous driving vehicle stopped at a destination as an alighted user and monitors the alighted user. The start control device maintains a stopped state of the autonomous driving vehicle after the alighted user was detected until a start condition is satisfied and, if the start condition is satisfied, permits a start of the autonomous driving vehicle. The start condition is one of a condition indicating that the alighted user at least moves out of a movement determination area around the autonomous driving vehicle and a condition indicating that the alighted user is present in the movement determination area but remains at the same position for a certain period of time or longer.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-176996 filed onSep. 14, 2017 including the specification, drawings and abstract isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an autonomous driving vehicle forproviding the driverless transportation service and a control method forthe autonomous driving vehicle.

2. Description of Related Art

Recently, there is provided a driverless transportation service in whichautonomous driving vehicles capable of unmanned driving are used. Inthis driverless transportation service, an autonomous driving vehiclepicks up a user and autonomously travels toward a destination desired bythe user. When the autonomous driving vehicle arrives at the destinationand stops there, the user gets out of the autonomous driving vehicle.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-059254 (JP 2017-059254A) discloses a technique that allows the user who gets out of anautonomous driving vehicle to give an instruction about the behavior ofthe autonomous driving vehicle that will be performed after the usergets out of it. For example, to the autonomous driving vehicle fromwhich the user got off, the user can give an instruction to wait on thespot or to travel to a specified location.

SUMMARY

A user who got out of an autonomous driving vehicle will behaveaccording to his or her schedule or intention. Therefore, it isdifficult for the autonomous driving vehicle to predict the movement ofthe user who got out of the autonomous driving vehicle. For example, fora pedestrian on the sidewalk, it may be possible for the autonomousdriving vehicle to detect the pedestrian using a sensor and, based onthe trajectory, to predict the future movement of the pedestrian.However, for a user who has just got out of the autonomous drivingvehicle, there is no such trajectory data and, therefore, it isimpossible to predict the movement of the user based on the pasttrajectory.

As described above, it is difficult to predict how a user, who got outof an autonomous driving vehicle, will move. This means that, if theautonomous driving vehicle casually starts moving after the user got outof the autonomous driving vehicle, there is a danger of accidentalcontact with the user who got out of the vehicle.

The present disclosure increases the safety of a user who got out of anautonomous driving vehicle in the driverless transportation servicewhere autonomous driving vehicles are used.

A first aspect of the present disclosure is an autonomous drivingvehicle that provides the driverless transportation service to a user.The autonomous driving vehicle includes a user detection monitoringdevice configured to detect the user who got out of the autonomousdriving vehicle after the autonomous driving vehicle stopped at adestination as an alighted user and configured to monitor the alighteduser and a start control device configured to maintain a stopped stateof the autonomous driving vehicle after the alighted user was detecteduntil a start condition is satisfied and configured to permit a start ofthe autonomous driving vehicle when the start condition is satisfied.The start condition is one of a condition indicating that the alighteduser at least moves out of a movement determination area around theautonomous driving vehicle and a condition indicating that the alighteduser is present in the movement determination area but remains at thesame position for a certain period of time or longer.

With the configuration described above, the autonomous driving vehiclewill not start moving unconditionally after the user gets out of theautonomous driving vehicle. To reduce contact with the alighted user,the start condition that takes into consideration the position andmovement of the alighted user is applied to the start of the autonomousdriving vehicle. Until the start condition is satisfied, the start isprohibited and the autonomous driving vehicle maintains the stoppedstate. When the start condition is satisfied, the start of theautonomous driving vehicle is permitted. Controlling the start of theautonomous driving vehicle in this way improves the safety of thealighted user.

In the autonomous driving vehicle described above, the user detectionmonitoring device may be configured to detect a target around theautonomous driving vehicle using a sensor. When the user detectionmonitoring device detects a new target in an alighting determinationarea adjacent to the autonomous driving vehicle after the autonomousdriving vehicle stopped at the destination, the user detectionmonitoring device may be configured to recognize the new target as thealighted user and may be configured to monitor the new target as thealighted user.

With the configuration described above, When a new target is detected inan alighting determination area adjacent to the autonomous drivingvehicle after the autonomous driving vehicle stopped at the destination,the new target is recognized as the alighted user. Thus, the alighteduser can be detected accurately.

In the autonomous driving vehicle described above, the user detectionmonitoring device may be configured to detect at least one of analighting action and information suggesting the alighting action and maybe configured to recognize the new target that is detected inconjunction with the alighting action as the alighted user. Thealighting action may be an action of the user when the user gets out ofthe autonomous driving vehicle.

With the configuration described above, the alighting action is alsoused to recognize the alighted user, and a new target detected inconjunction with the alighting action is recognized as the alighteduser. Thus, the detection accuracy of the alighted user is furtherincreased.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is a control method for anautonomous driving vehicle. The autonomous driving vehicle includes auser detection monitoring device and a start control device. The controlmethod includes detecting, by the user detection monitoring device, auser who got out of the autonomous driving vehicle after the autonomousdriving vehicle stopped at a destination as an alighted user;monitoring, by the user detection monitoring device, the alighted user;maintaining, by the start control device, a stopped state of theautonomous driving vehicle after the alighted user was detected until astart condition is satisfied; and permitting, by the start controldevice, a start of the autonomous driving vehicle when the startcondition is satisfied. The start condition is one of a conditionindicating that the alighted user at least moves out of a movementdetermination area around the autonomous driving vehicle and a conditionindicating that the alighted user is present in the movementdetermination area but remains at the same position for a certain periodof time or longer.

With the configuration described above, the autonomous driving vehiclewill not start moving unconditionally after the user gets out of theautonomous driving vehicle. To reduce contact with the alighted user,the start condition that takes into consideration the position andmovement of the alighted user is applied to the start of the autonomousdriving vehicle. Until the start condition is satisfied, the start isprohibited and the autonomous driving vehicle maintains the stoppedstate. When the start condition is satisfied, the start of theautonomous driving vehicle is permitted. Controlling the start of theautonomous driving vehicle in this way improves the safety of thealighted user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denotelike elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a problem that may arise when theuser gets out of an autonomous driving vehicle in the driverlesstransportation service;

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the start condition confirmationprocessing performed by an autonomous driving vehicle according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of anautonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of anautonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by a controldevice of an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the alighted userdetection processing (step S30) according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detailbelow with reference to the drawings.

This embodiment relates to the driverless transportation service inwhich autonomous driving vehicles capable of unmanned driving are used.The basic flow of the driverless transportation service is as follows.

First, a user uses a user terminal (for example, a smartphone) to send adispatch request to the management center. The dispatch request includesa user-desired pickup position and other related information. Thedispatch request is sent to the management server of the managementcenter over a communication network. The management server selects anautonomous driving vehicle that will provide the service to the user andsends the information on the dispatch request to the selected autonomousdriving vehicle. When the information is received, the autonomousdriving vehicle travels autonomously to the pickup position.

The autonomous driving vehicle arrives at the pickup position and stopsthere. The user gets in the autonomous driving vehicle. The user givesthe information about the destination (position where the user will getout of the vehicle) to the autonomous driving vehicle. The informationabout the destination need may also be included in the dispatch request.The autonomous driving vehicle travels autonomously towards thedestination. The autonomous driving vehicle arrives at the destinationand stops there. The user gets out of the autonomous driving vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a problem that may arise when theuser gets out of an autonomous driving vehicle in the driverlesstransportation service. An autonomous driving vehicle 1 capable ofunmanned driving arrives at the destination (where the user gets out ofthe vehicle) and stops there. The user gets out of the autonomousdriving vehicle 1. In the description below, the user who has gotten outof the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is referred to as an “alighteduser”.

An alighted user behaves according to his or her own schedule andintention. Therefore, it is difficult for the autonomous driving vehicle1 to predict the movement of the alighted user. For example, for apedestrian on the sidewalk, it may be possible for the autonomousdriving vehicle 1 to detect the pedestrian using a sensor and, based onthe trajectory, to predict the future movement of the pedestrian.However, for an alighted user who has just got out of the autonomousdriving vehicle 1, there is no such trajectory data and, therefore, itis impossible to predict the movement of the user based on the pasttrajectory.

As described above, it is difficult to predict how the alighted userwill move. On the other hand, after the user got out of the vehicle, theautonomous driving vehicle 1 starts traveling according to the nexttravel plan. At this time, if the autonomous driving vehicle 1 casuallystarts moving, there is a danger of accidental contact with the alighteduser.

To address this problem, this embodiment defines a “start condition” forpermitting the start of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 after the usergets out of the vehicle. According to this condition, the start of theautonomous driving vehicle 1 is prohibited until the start condition issatisfied and the autonomous driving vehicle 1 maintains the stoppedstate. When the start condition is satisfied, the start of theautonomous driving vehicle 1 is permitted. In the description below,such processing is referred to as “start condition confirmationprocessing”.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the start condition confirmationprocessing performed by the autonomous driving vehicle 1 in thisembodiment. Once the alighted user gets away from the autonomous drivingvehicle 1 to some extent, it is considered that the autonomous drivingvehicle 1, if started, will not contact the alighted user. Taking thisinto consideration, the “movement determination area RM” is defined. Themovement determination area RM is used to determine whether the alighteduser is away to some extent from the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Themovement determination area RM is an area around the autonomous drivingvehicle 1. For example, the movement determination area RM is defined asa range within a certain distance from the autonomous driving vehicle 1.The movement determination area RM may also be defined such that thewidth along the traveling direction of the autonomous driving vehicle 1is larger than the width along the lateral direction of the autonomousdriving vehicle 1.

If the alighted user is present in the movement determination area RM,the start of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is prohibited for safety.If the alighted user moves out of the movement determination area RM,the start of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is permitted.Alternatively, if the alighted user moves out of the movementdetermination area RM and if a certain period of time has elapsed sincethe user got out of the vehicle, the start of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1 may be permitted. That is, the start condition is that “thealighted user at least moves out of the movement determination area RM”.In the description below, this start condition is referred to as a“first start condition”.

If, after getting out of the autonomous driving vehicle 1, the user doesnot move for a moment and stops at the same position, the autonomousdriving vehicle 1, if started, is less likely to contact the alighteduser. Therefore, if the alighted user is present in the movementdetermination area RM but if the alighted user has not an intention tomove, the start of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is permitted.

Whether or not the alighted user has an intention to move is determinedbased on the position of the alighted user. If the alighted user remainsat the same position for a certain period of time or longer, it isdetermined that the alighted user does not have an intention to move.That is, in this case, the start condition is that “the alighted user ispresent in the movement determination area RM but remains at the sameposition for a certain period of time or longer”. In the descriptionbelow, this start condition is called a “second start condition”. Notethat, when the second start condition is satisfied, a start that is moregradual than that when the first start condition is satisfied may beset.

The start condition in this the embodiment is the first start conditionor the second start condition. That is, the start is prohibited untilthe first start condition or the second start condition is satisfiedand, while the start is prohibited, the autonomous driving vehicle 1maintains the stopped state. When the first start condition or thesecond start condition is satisfied, the start of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1 is permitted.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of theautonomous driving vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. Theautonomous driving vehicle 1 includes a user detection monitoring device100 and a start control device 200. After the autonomous driving vehicle1 stops at the destination, the user detection monitoring device 100detects the user who got out of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 as analighted user and monitors the detected alighted user. After thealighted user is detected and until the start condition described aboveis satisfied, the start control device 200 prohibits the start andmaintains the stopped state of the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Whenthe start condition is satisfied, the start control device 200 permitsthe start of the autonomous driving vehicle 1.

As described above, the autonomous driving vehicle 1 will not startmoving unconditionally in this embodiment after the user gets out of theautonomous driving vehicle 1. To reduce contact with the alighted user,the start condition that takes into consideration the position andmovement of the alighted user is applied to the start of the autonomousdriving vehicle 1. Until the start condition is satisfied, the start isprohibited and the autonomous driving vehicle 1 maintains the stoppedstate. When the start condition is satisfied, the start of theautonomous driving vehicle 1 is permitted. Controlling the start of theautonomous driving vehicle 1 in this way improves the safety of thealighted user.

An example of the configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle 1according to this embodiment, as well as its processing, will bedescribed in detail.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of theautonomous driving vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. Theautonomous driving vehicle 1, capable of unmanned driving, providesdriverless transport service to users. In the example shown in FIG. 4,the autonomous driving vehicle 1 includes a Global Positioning System(GPS) receiver 10, a map database 20, a communication device 30, avehicle status sensor 40, a surrounding environment sensor 50, a HumanMachine Interface (HMI) unit 60, a traveling device 70, and a controldevice 80.

The GPS receiver 10 receives signals sent from a plurality of GPSsatellites and calculates the position and direction (orientation) ofthe autonomous driving vehicle 1 based on the received signals. The GPSreceiver 10 sends the position and direction information to the controldevice 80.

The map database 20 records therein the map information. The mapdatabase 20 is stored in a predetermined storage device. The controldevice 80 can acquire the map information around the autonomous drivingvehicle 1 from the map database 20 based on the position and directioninformation described above.

The communication device 30 communicates with the management server inthe management center via a communication network. In addition, thecommunication device 30 communicates with the user terminal of a uservia a communication network.

The vehicle status sensor 40 detects various states of the autonomousdriving vehicle 1. Examples of the vehicle status sensor 40 include avehicle speed sensor, a shift position sensor, a door open/close sensor,a seating sensor, a weight sensor, and an indoor camera. The vehiclespeed sensor detects the speed (vehicle speed) of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1. The shift position sensor detects the shift position. Thedoor open/close sensor detects the opening and closing of the door. Theseating sensor detects that the user is sitting on the seat. The weightsensor detects the total weight of the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Theindoor camera captures the indoor situation of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1.

The surrounding environment sensor 50 detects the environment(situation) around the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Examples ofsurrounding environment sensors include a camera, Laser ImagingDetection and Ranging (LIDAR), a millimeter wave radar, and a clearancesonar. Using the surrounding environment sensor 50, a target around theautonomous driving vehicle 1 can be detected. In particular, thesurrounding environment sensor 50 is used in this embodiment fordetecting and monitoring an alighted user. The surrounding environmentsensor 50 may include a dedicated sensor for detecting and monitoring analighted user.

The HMI unit 60 is an interface for notifying the user about theinformation and for accepting the information from the user. Forexample, the HMI unit 60 includes a display device, a speaker, an inputdevice, and a microphone. The HMI unit 60 can notify various types ofinformation to the user through the display device and the speaker.Examples of the input device include a touch panel, a switch, and abutton. The user can input various types of information to the HMI unit60 using the input device or the microphone.

The traveling device 70 includes a steering device, a driving device,and a braking device. The steering device steers the wheels. The drivingdevice is a power source for generating the driving force. Examples ofthe driving device include an electric motor and an engine. The brakingdevice generates a braking force.

The control device 80 controls the driverless transportation serviceperformed by the autonomous driving vehicle 1. In particular, thecontrol device 80 performs the start condition confirmation processingdescribed above. For example, the control device 80 uses the surroundingenvironment sensor 50 to detect an alighted user and monitor thedetected alighted user. The control device 80 also determines whetherthe start condition is satisfied. In addition, the control device 80controls the traveling device 70 in such a way that the start andtraveling of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is controlled. Typically,the control device 80 is a microcomputer including a processor, amemory, and an input/output interface. The control device 80 is alsocalled an Electronic Control Unit (ECU).

The user detection monitoring device 100 described above includes theGPS receiver 10, the map database 20, the communication device 30, thevehicle status sensor 40, the surrounding environment sensor 50, the HMIunit 60, and the control device 80. The start control device 200described above includes the traveling device 70 and the control device80.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the controldevice 80 of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 according to thisembodiment.

After the autonomous driving vehicle 1 arrives at the destination, thecontrol device 80 first confirms that the autonomous driving vehicle 1is stopped (step S10). For example, the control device 80 confirms thatthe vehicle speed, detected by the vehicle speed sensor included in thevehicle status sensor 40, is zero. Also, the control device 80 mayconfirm that the shift position, detected by the shift position sensorincluded in the vehicle status sensor 40, is “P (parking)”. If it isconfirmed that the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is stopped, theprocessing proceeds to the next step S20.

When the autonomous driving vehicle 1 stops at the destination, the usergets out of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 (step S20). In thedescription below, the action taken by the user when he or she gets outof the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is referred to as an “alightingaction”. The control device 80 detects the alighting action or theinformation suggesting the alighting action.

The information that suggests the alighting action includes thefollowing. For example, the opening of the door after the autonomousdriving vehicle 1 stopped suggests the alighting action. Similarly, theuser action that the user stands up from the seat after the autonomousdriving vehicle 1 stopped suggests the alighting action. Similarly, adecrease in its total weight after the autonomous driving vehicle 1stopped suggests the alighting action. These information can bedetected, respectively, by the door open/close sensor, the seatingsensor, and the weight sensor all of which are included in the vehiclestatus sensor 40.

In another example, the alighting action can be detected by capturingthe indoor situation of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 using theindoor camera included in the vehicle status sensor 40 and then byanalyzing the captured data by the control device 80.

In still another example, moving the position of the user terminal,carried by the user, from the interior to the exterior the autonomousdriving vehicle 1 means that the user gets out of the vehicle.Therefore, the control device 80 can also detect the alighting action bycomparing the position of the user terminal and the position of theautonomous driving vehicle 1. The position of the user terminal isestimated by the user terminal. The control device 80 acquires theposition information from the user terminal via the communication device30. The position of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is obtained by theGPS receiver 10. Alternatively, the position of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1 may be calculated by the localization processing. Thelocalization processing is performed in such a way that a landmarktarget (monument, signboard, roadside structure, white line, etc.),registered in the map information in advance, and a landmark target,actually detected by the surrounding environment sensor 50, are comparedto accurately calculate the position of the autonomous driving vehicle1.

In still another example, when getting out of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1, the user informs the autonomous driving vehicle 1 that he orshe will get out of the vehicle. For example, the user sends thegetting-off information using the user terminal. The control device 80receives the getting-off information via the communication device 30.Alternatively, the user presses the getting-off button that is includedin the HMI unit 60. The control device 80 receives the information,indicating that the getting-off button has been pressed, from the HMIunit 60.

The control device 80 performs step S30 described below after, or inparallel with, step S20.

The control device 80 detects the alighted user (step S30). For example,the control device 80 uses the surrounding environment sensor 50 todetect the alighted user.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the alighted user detectionprocessing in which the surrounding environment sensor 50 is used. The“alighting determination area RG” shown in FIG. 6 is an area adjacent tothe autonomous driving vehicle 1 and is an area to which the user isassumed to move from the interior of the autonomous driving vehicle 1.Typically, the direction in which the user is supposed to move from theinterior of the vehicle is the direction of the door that was opened.Which door was opened can be detected by the door open/close sensorincluded in the vehicle status sensor 40. Note that the alightingdetermination area RG is smaller than the movement determination area RMshown in FIG. 2.

The control device 80 can detect the relative position of a targetaround the autonomous driving vehicle 1 using the surroundingenvironment sensor 50. If a “new target” is detected in the alightingdetermination area RG after the autonomous driving vehicle 1 stopped, itis highly likely that the new target is the alighted user. Therefore,the control device 80 recognizes the new target as the alighted user.

In detecting the alighted user, the alighting action detected in stepS20 described above may be taken into consideration. It is consideredthat the alighted user is detected after, or in conjunction with, thealighting action. Therefore, the “new target” detected in conjunctionwith the alighting action is highly likely to be the alighted user. Forthis reason, the control device 80 recognizes the new target, detectedin conjunction with the alighting action, as the alighted user. Thisfurther improves the accuracy of the alighted user detection processing.

In another example of the alighted user detection processing, theposition of the user terminal may be regarded as the position of thealighted user. In other words, when the user terminal is detected in thealighting determination area RG after the autonomous driving vehicle 1stopped, the control device 80 recognizes the user terminal as thealighted user. As described above, the position information on the userterminal can be acquired from the user terminal via the communicationdevice 30. Also, the position of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 can beobtained by the GPS receiver 10 or by the localization processing. Thealighting determination area RG adjacent to the autonomous drivingvehicle 1 is obtained from the position of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1. In this example, too, the alighting action detected in stepS20 may be taken into consideration.

Following step S30, the control device 80 monitors the alighted userdetected in step S30. In particular, the control device 80 monitors therelative position of the alighted user with respect to the autonomousdriving vehicle 1.

The control device 80 determines whether the start condition issatisfied based on the monitoring result obtained in step S40 (stepS50). As described above, the start condition is the first startcondition or the second start condition. The first start condition isthat “the alighted user at least moves out of the movement determinationarea RM”. The second start condition is that “the alighted user ispresent in the movement determination area RM but remains at the sameposition for a certain period of time or longer”.

If the start condition is not satisfied (step S50; No), the controldevice 80 prohibits the start and maintains the stopped state of theautonomous driving vehicle 1. That is, the control device 80 controlsthe traveling device 70 so that the autonomous driving vehicle 1 doesnot start. Then, the processing returns to step S40 described above.

If the start condition is satisfied (step S50; Yes), the processingproceeds to step S60.

The control device 80 permits the start of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1 (step S60). The control device 80 controls the travelingdevice 70 so that the autonomous driving vehicle 1 can start.

The control device 80 controls the traveling device 70 so that theautonomous driving vehicle 1 will start traveling according to thetravel plan (step S70).

The alighting action detection processing (step S20) described above isnot indispensable and may be omitted. However, the accuracy of thealighted user detection processing (step S30) is improved if thealighted user is detected in conjunction with the alighting action.

In this embodiment, the autonomous driving vehicle 1 will not startunconditionally after the user gets out of the autonomous drivingvehicle 1, as described above. To reduce contact with the alighted user,the start condition that takes into consideration the position andmovement of the alighted user is applied to the start of the autonomousdriving vehicle 1. Until the start condition is satisfied, the start isprohibited and the autonomous driving vehicle 1 maintains the stoppedstate. When the start condition is satisfied, the start of theautonomous driving vehicle 1 is permitted. Controlling the start of anautonomous driving vehicle in this way improves the safety of analighted user.

What is claimed is:
 1. An autonomous driving vehicle that provides adriverless transportation service to a user, the autonomous drivingvehicle comprising a surrounding environment sensor configured to:monitor an environment around the autonomous driving vehicle, detect theuser who got out of the autonomous driving vehicle after the autonomousdriving vehicle stopped at a destination as an alighted user, andmonitor the alighted user; and an electronic control unit (ECU)programmed to: confirm that the autonomous driving vehicle is in astopped state; maintain the stopped state of the autonomous drivingvehicle based upon: (i) the alighted user is detected, (ii) the alighteduser is present in a movement determination area around the autonomousdriving vehicle and (iii) the alighted user does not remain in a sameposition within the movement determination area for a certain periodtime or longer; permit a start of the autonomous driving vehicle when astart condition is satisfied, the start condition being a conditionindicating that the alighted user is present in the movementdetermination area around the autonomous driving vehicle but remains atthe same position for the certain period of time or longer, and controlthe autonomous driving vehicle to start traveling according to a travelplan when the start of the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted. 2.The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when thesurrounding environment sensor detects a new target in an alightingdetermination area adjacent to the autonomous driving vehicle after theautonomous driving vehicle stopped at the destination, the surroundingenvironment sensor is configured to recognize the new target as thealighted user and is configured to monitor the new target as thealighted user.
 3. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 2,wherein the surrounding environment sensor is configured to detect atleast one of an alighting action and information suggesting thealighting action and is configured to recognize the new target that isdetected in conjunction with the alighting action as the alighted user,and the alighting action is an action of the user when the user gets outof the autonomous driving vehicle.
 4. A control method for an autonomousdriving vehicle, the autonomous driving vehicle including a surroundingenvironment sensor and an electronic control unit (ECU), the controlmethod comprising: detecting, by the surrounding environment sensor, auser who got out of the autonomous driving vehicle after the autonomousdriving vehicle stopped at a destination as an alighted user;monitoring, by the surrounding environment sensor, the alighted user;maintaining, by the ECU, a stopped state of the autonomous drivingvehicle after (i) the alighted user is detected and (ii) the alighteduser is present in a movement determination area around the autonomousdriving vehicle and (iii) the alighted user does not remain in a sameposition within the movement determination area for a certain period oftime or longer; permitting, by the ECU, a start of the autonomousdriving vehicle when a start condition is satisfied, the start conditionbeing a condition indicating that the alighted user is present in themovement determination area around the autonomous driving vehicle butremains at the same position for the certain period of time or longer;and controlling, by the ECU, the autonomous driving vehicle to starttraveling according to a travel plan when the start of the autonomousdriving vehicle is permitted.
 5. An autonomous driving vehicle thatprovides a driverless transportation service to a user, the autonomousdriving vehicle comprising: a surrounding environment sensor configuredto: monitor an environment around the autonomous driving vehicle, detectthe user who got out of the autonomous driving vehicle after theautonomous driving vehicle stopped at a destination as an alighted user,and monitor the alighted user; and an electronic control unit (ECU)programmed to: confirm that the autonomous driving vehicle is in astopped state; detect the alighted user, monitor the alighted user todetermine whether the alighted user is present in a movementdetermination area around the autonomous driving vehicle; maintain thestopped state of the autonomous driving vehicle based upon (i) thealighted user moving in the movement determination area for any durationof time, or (ii) the alighted user does not remain at a same position inthe movement determination area for a certain period of time or longer;permit a start of the autonomous driving vehicle when the alighted useris present in the movement determination area around the autonomousdriving vehicle but remains at the same position for the certain periodof time or longer, and control the autonomous driving vehicle to starttraveling according to a travel plan when the start of the autonomousdriving vehicle is permitted.